Are we expecting schools to be open as normal by September?

[Concerned7777]

So many threads on here about whether to send dc back in June or not....totally not the reason for the post I dont care your thoughts either way about June .
But what about September, many saying they're keeping dc off til September but are we expecting everything to be open and normal as it was before? Do we think all classes will return in September full time?

Schools are having to implement changes to open in June with many saying the changes aren't possible or not safe. Some saying it may be child care only not education, part time only and not even able to accommodate the priority nursery reception yr1 and yr6 classes at this time with the current guidelines. If we cant accommodate them now how can they accommodate the whole school a few months later. I doubt the virus will be eradicated by then although the R rate will be lower there is still going to be risk even then.
It never occurred to me until today that a September full school open may not be possible or safe? Am I the only one who thought this or am I late to the party?

We can’t see into the future so it’s impossible to say at this time.

Personally I’m happy with the work set for my 12&14yos and they are doing it. I don’t want schools to return if nothing has changed medically. Many teachers will not want to be in a classroom with loads of kids. My dB certainly doesn’t want to, he’s happy teaching over zoom.

3 hours work set on total from our primary, feel a bit let down tbh. defensive newsletters from head about reasons why no phone calls - "safeguarding the teachers " apparently. more or less feel obliged to send my year 5 back when it reopens, obviously the head has implied they don't want reopening to happen at all so not very encouraging.

It's more hordes of teenagers mixing & taking it home, causing a huge second wave

Now that the 'stay at home' message has gone this has already started to happen and will just increase over the next few weeks especially in better weather. If teens are meeting up in parks or each other's homes then they really might as well be back at school.

I've no idea if schools will be back this side of summer, probably not tbh.

I'm really worried about September. I can see there being all the 'September excitement' and new year, 'everything will be great' stuff and all that anticipation for children....but then the same social distancing measures will be needed as they are now.

Kids will have had 6 months squirrelled away at home, some with very little contact with the outside world and will be expecting normality. That's it going to be really tough to go back to when everyone realises that it still isn't safe and everything is different.

I don't know what the answer is. The whole thing is shit no matter we do.

No - it will be with significant measures in place, so maybe not full time or with breaks done differently. Many universities are not going back to face to face learning until January.

Won’t community transmission be down by now? Jenny Harries saying odds of infection very low in June let alone Sept.

Schools are open elsewhere etc,

Maybe a bit controversial but how many teachers still working in school with key worker and vulnerable have contracted covid? Theres 2 schools near me and I can see them when they're outside and there is zero social distancing happening and I know what the children being cared for at my dc school are all using the same classroom? It stands to reason that the chances are higher for the children of key workers to pass on anything as it's more likely their parents are in contact with the public whereas the rest of the children (and their families) have barely been through the door for nearly 3 months by the time they go back to school

4 of the 12 teachers in my school have had it.

I am a secondary teacher. I live in hope that Y10 and Y12 can be back in some capacity after 1st June. The head is making plans to be able to do that. No idea about September-I would love to back as 'normal' but who knows.

One thing I will say though is that it is not a case of teachers not wanting to go back.

I would happily go back to school. I miss the kids, the interaction that can't be replicated online, supporting them with their learning, seeing them progress. I miss their humour, their tales, them showing me/telling me things. I worry for the ones who are disadvantaged, for whom school is the constant in their lives.

Work is taking far longer than normal at home. I am fed up of leading my team electronically instead of being able to talk to them. I miss having professional discussions, bouncing ideas, celebrating success and getting each other through the hard days.

I have had sleepless nights and sat in tears trying to get the predicted grades and ranking right for the students.

I have sent a birthday email to a vulnerable child who I know won't have had a happy birthday off their parents.

I have called the home of a sixth former who struggles with his mental health to check in and make sure he is ok.

I have continued to do a huge amount of curriculum development work so that when we do get back, our children have the best possible curriculum.

My colleagues have all done similar to me. We certainly aren't sat doing nothing.

For me and many of my colleagues, teaching is a vocation and I can hand on heart say, there is nothing I would rather do. Yes, you get the odd one who isn't passionate, as you do in any profession but I bloody wish people would stop tarring us all with the same brush.

I think they will open in September and close again in November/December for a few months.
The longterm risks to some children from deprived backgrounds or abusive parents are greater than the risk of covid to kids.

I have sent a birthday email to a vulnerable child who I know won't have had a happy birthday off their parents

Poor kid, thank-you for doing that. I hope every child who needs a Happy Birthday wish from a teacher gets one.

@IdblowJonSnow agreed. The NHS often exceeds capacity in winter anyway - so even a small spike in cases will mean mean we lockdown.

Logically it would make sense to flip the holidays. Have only a couple of weeks this summer and then shut down for 6 weeks from December - January.

I agree @StrawberryBlondeStar it would be sensible to get some more time at school while weather is better, risk of flu and other bugs is much lower because this could likely mean they are off for a period over winter again.

The NHS often exceeds capacity in winter anyway - so even a small spike in cases will mean mean we lockdown

But we have extra capacity with the nightingales now. So a small spike shouldn't affect things too much

@Greysparkles that is true. Hopefully they will be enough to stop a more severe lockdown being required.

Are the Nightingales actually being used? An empty hospital without enough staff in it is not going to be ready for use overnight.

Why would they need to open it ‘overnight’? I’m sure when hospitals start to look like they could reach capacity they could make preparations. In fact they could even have a plan in place now for what happens when they start to need extra beds.

I know that’s a radical idea though

'Overnight' = all of a sudden. Empty hospitals are going to need a good clean before they can suddenly admit patients, they won't be ready at the drop of a hat even with all the beds etc being there. If they haven't been used for weeks then the water systems will need a good flushing out or whatever they need to reduce the chances of legionnaires.

Well I’m sure they’re capable of putting plans in place. If they can turn an events arena into a hospital in 10 days, they can sure as hell clean them with a couple of days notice.

Strawberryblondstar, i can see your logic in flipping the holidays. I really can't see it happening for various reasons, not least kids MH, some would go into complete meltdown at not getting any fun time with pals. But i can see a logic to it.

Soffjellycell my guess is the Nightingales will each have a group of cleaners constantly just keeping them patient ready.

If teens are meeting up in parks or each other's homes then they really might as well be back at school.

So because parents can't keep tabs on their children, the teachers will have to do it and hand the consequences for their health.

I'm very flippantly beginning to be of the mind that we might as well just restart society and let everybody take their chances with Covid, given that the risk to teachers is so negligible. No more need for working from home or avoiding public transport. Let it rip through; as we know from the great Mumsnet cliché, the risk is 'vanishingly small'. So what are we all waiting for? Come on, let's jump straight in, come what may.

hang the consequences

Teens meeting up in the park could drag this out for all of us. How selfish!